THE island's first tourism outlook seminar will be held tomorrow in Kingston, the Jamaican capital.

"We have sought to bring to Jamaica, for the first time, some of the leading players in the industry covering the technical and information areas, air transport, cruise tourism, as well as regional marketing and management within the industry," said Ed Bartlett, the tourism minister.

He said the decision to have the seminar ahead of the new financial year was to enhance the planning process locally, and to also coincide with the mid-term review of the Tourism Master Plan for Sustainable Development.

Bartlett said it was important that the full impact and contribution of the tourism industry be understood, as it is the largest provider of foreign exchange to the country and employed more than 80,000 persons directly and 180,000 indirectly.

"It has linkages in more than 23 sectors and is in fact the only industry in Jamaica today that provides support and assistance for every single layer of employable persons within the country," said the minister.

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